Sunday, June 01, 2014

Some may be talking about the first start of Zack Greinke since losing his streak of 22 consecutive starts with two or fewer earned runs (the longest since 1914). I, however, would like to focus on the much-anticipated return of Edinson Volquez to Dodger Stadium.

Volquez, who joined the Dodgers late in 2013 from the Padres, made the most of his opportunity with six appearances and a 0-2 record. When Ned Colletti had the masterstroke of picking up Volquez in late August, Volquez had a 6.01 ERA (57 ERA+). Through hard work and a series of short starting outings (one lasting only four innings), Volquez was able to transform himself into the 4.18 ERA (87 ERA+) monster we thought we'd see. Volquez did not make the roster for the NLDS (which we won), but he did make the roster for the NLCS (which we lost). He did not make a postseason appearance for the Dodgers.

Our guy? Well, Zack leads the NL with eight wins, tied with Adam Wainwright, and buehrle behind Mark Buehrle of the Jays with nine wins. I don't think the Dodgers are scoring 12 like they did yesterday, but note this: When the Dodgers first scored double-digit runs in 2013, it came near the beginning of their crazy 42-8 streak that propelled us back into first place. Yesterday's game was our first double-digit run-scoring output of the year. Might this augur the same?